Binder distribution and atomizing system for fiberizing apparatus



July 12, 1960 w. 'r. TILLOTSON ET AL 2,944,284

BINDER DISTRIBUTION AND ATOMIZING SYSTEM FOR FIBERIZING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 9, 1957 we: yZ' 1211013012. f7

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' a Y amen nisrnmnrnoN AND ATOMIZINGI: j SYSTEM-FOR FIBERIJZING APPARATUS Wesley T. Tillots' 'on W. Easterday, Wilmette,

Ill., assignorsjby mesne assignments, to United States Gypsum CompanyyChicago; 11]., a corporation of .imi i v @m Filed 0a;lasts.Natalia 7Claims. (C l.182.5)

The present invention relates to apparatus for producing mineral wool andmore particularly to a novel system for atomizing, distributing and applying to (theare formed and prior to their collection as a batt or felt 'ina collecting chamber; v I r Another object offthe present invention is the provision of a 'novel slinger unit for atomizing and distributing a ,bindenor'treating substance in combination with a rotary divider or distributing rotor and a steam fiberizing'means', whereby the fibers 'immediately'after they are formed are coated or impregnated with an atomiz'ed spray dfthe binder solution centrifugally ejected and sprayed upon-the encompassing individual or separated and/or treating material to the formed fibers-prior to 7 collection. 1 Y a a Fig. 3 isaTschematic view of an alternateconstruction of a rotating islinger for atomizingand distributing the binder. t

Fig. -4 is a view similar fication. 1

Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Figs. 3 and 4 but of another embodiment'of the rotating slinger.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure: in the drawing and to the novel illustrative embodiment. shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the fiberizing unit includes a cup-shaped distributing rotor 10 for receiving on its inner 'or cupped surface 11 the molten slag or fiber-forming material 12 discharged from a furnace or cupola (notshown) onto a guide trough 13 which directs this molten fiber-forming material upon the inner surface 11 of the distributing rotor 10.

As the distributing rotor 10 is revolved at high speed about a substantially horizontal axis, the film or layer to Fig. 3 but of a further modiof molten fiber-forming material collected on the'inner surface 11 thereof is ceutrifugally ejected outwardly an d over the peripheral edge 14 of the rotor in an annular pattern'and in a substantially vertical plane. This centrifugally discharged molten fiber-forming material is intercepted by a multiplicity of steam jets issuing; from a plurality ofclosely spaced apertures or orifices 1 5 in the forwarder outer face ofa fiberizing steam ring 16 The steam jets issuing under pressure from these small discharge orifices 15 of the fiberizing ring 16 forcibly impingeupon the centrifugally ejected molten material at The attenuated fibersare projected forwardly 1n antapfibers carried in a high velocity streamof steamandi air priorto' such individual fibers being collected or com- 5 'pacted. V 7-. to m By-means of the presentnovel manner of spraying the fibers by the novel slinger unit mounted upon and rapidly rotated with the distributing rotor orrotary divider inimediately after the molten slag is attenuated for drawn into the formed fibers, the binder is most efiectively a15- plied'to the loose and separated fibers of the encompassing stream, wherebyithese fibe 'r's are uniformly or. impregnated with the-binder solution;

ated

17. and abruptly alter the direction of trayel 'oftthis "ejected material from a substantially vertical to anfiapproximately horizontal path and draw or attenuate this molten material into a multitude of mineralwool fibers 18.

proximately conical pattern of high velocity steam and air and: are 'dr'awn'by the applied suction'throughfan alignedropening in aportal 19 and collected ina'wool room 20. a c c j.

In the present invention, novel means are provided for centrifugally ejecting an atomized spray 21 ofabinder and/or treating material for coating the individu 'al fibers as they are formed and prior to their collection in the 4, The present invention further-. comprehends a'fnq'v'el rslinger assembly for a mineral: wool fiberizingunit in .which the binder solution is discharged against and cen- Zt'rifu'gally. and rforcibly rejected from i a rapidly J rotating 1 ,plate' or diskin thejform of an atomizedfspray for' mis't and with the minute particlesxofispray solution forcibly projected into, and throughthe movingstream, of formed :fibers ,to thereby; uniformly .coat{ the individual or sepairated fibers'before: jsluchifibers have 'anopp'ortunit come compacted or matted. together. 055 :1

wool room 20. Such'means comprises an inner slinger plate 22 and an outer slinger'plate 23 carried by multiple spaced studs 24. Eachstud '24 is threadedlyr mounted at its inner end in an enlarged nut 25 andwith its other or outer end receiving and adjustably mounting the slinger plates 22' and 23 and retaining these. plates fin c spacedrelation by means of spacers 26 and nuts 27. The

inner slinger plate 22 is provided with an opening into which projects the outer or discharge end of'a, sta- 't'ionary' binde'r tube'29. a'The outer-slinger platen; is

'Fujrther objects are jtoprovidezaconstruction-of maXiherently possessed thereby; I

'l v hed n T-{Figure 1- is;a";fragmentary View, part side elevation 3 anclpart in vertical crossjsectionthrough afiberizing unit forthefiberizing of the molten slago'r fiber-forming niateial andrin which assembly isiembodied the-novel system '36-between the inner wall of the shaft 32 and the an forjatomizing distributing gar 1d applying albinder andZor 1 treating. materials to the. mineral wool fibers immediately aftergformation. "T

.: ZfFigr-Z is a digrammatic. orschem'aticiview of the novel and applying the binder system for supplying, 'atomizing imperforate except for the openings throughwhich projeet the-studsfi24. I d d v The enlarged-nut 25' is threaded or otherwise' anchored to the outer, open end Slfof a hollow shaft 32 rotatable] about a horizontal axis and upon which is'secured the distributing rotor or rotaryidivider 10; The interior of this rotor is hollow and'pi ovided with a dividerp'late133 to separate the incoming Wateror coolant entering the space 34 from the discharged coolant passing out through the space 35r 1 L T 1' A Y The hollow shaft 32 is provided with one or more 'pprts through'which the coolant enters from the annular :space compassed, concentric tube 137, and with one'br rriore 7 ports for discharge of the coolantinto the annular's' 'ce -38 between the inlet pipe or binder tube 29, and the encompassing or concentric tube 37. Ahousingforminga closureliifl for the open end 31 of the hollow 32 Y v 3 is. conformably received in this open end and provided with a sealing ring 41 encompassing the binder tube 29.

As shown in Fig. 1, the other or inner end of the hollow shaft 32 is provided with a commercial or conventional form of rotary union 42, an inlet 43 .forgthe coolant, an outlet 44 for the coolant, and a-tube seal 45 through which projects the inner end of the binder tube 29 shown connected to a supply pump 46 in Fig. 2.

a As shown in Fig. 2, the binder is dispensedfrom a storage tank 47 through a float valve 48 for controlling .the level of the binder in the receptacle of a suitable binder proportioning device 4 9. This binder proportioning device which may be of the cup-type as shown, supplies the binder through a guide trough 51 to a geartype positive displacement pump 46 which in turn supplies the binder through the tube 29 to the slinger plates 22 and 23 of the slinger unit designated by the reference character 52.

These slinger plates 22 and 23 may be flat disks as in Fig. 2, both plates 53 and 54 may be flared or contoured as in Fig. 3, the inner plate 55 may be flat or straight as in Fig. 1 and the outer plate 56 flared as in Fig. 4, or the binder may be ejected, atomized and distributed by means of a single plate 57 against which the binder is discharged from the binder tube 29.

The shaft 32, the distributing rotor or rotary divider '10 and the slinger plates 22 and 23 are rapidly rotated by means of a motor or other power source (not shown), while the concentric binder tube 29 and the encompassing tube 37 are maintained stationary during operation of the 'fiberizing unit. The binder or treating solution is pumped or forced through the inner concentric tube 29 and is centrifugally ejected from between the slinger plates 22 and 23 in the formof a vertically projected atomized spray Zll that is discharged in a radial pattern against 'the encompassing fibers 18 as they are for-med with the binder uniformly dispersed throughout these formed fibers and the fibers coated therewith before such fibers are drawn by suction means 58 through the opening in the portal l9 and collected in the wool room or collecting chamber 20.

The distributing rotor or rotary divider is preferably supplied with water or other coolant from any suitable source and in a well known manner. This rotor supplied with the molten slag or fiber-forming material, such as blast furnace slag, wool rock, etc., which may be .of the order of 2700 F., is preferably of a diameter of the order of 14 inches and rotates at a speed of the order of 1300 to 1400 r.p.m.

The binder for coating or impregnating the formed fibers may be a conventional water solution of a quicksetting, water-soluble phenol-formaldehyde resin, an annealing oil or a Waterproofing composition, or a combination thereof, which are commercially available and suitable for use in treating mineral Wool fibers and giving to such fibers the characteristics desired in the collected mat or felt of fibers.

To prevent the pump 46 from air-binding, water may be added to the binder mix or treating solution with the float-valve controlling the level of the binder in the receptacle of the binder proportioning device 48.

With respect to the rotating slinger unit 52, the contour,

diameter and spacing of the plates from the rotary dis- I wool or other inorganic fibers bya fiberizing process employing steam in combination with a rotating distributor or slag divider, difficulty is encountered in trying to obtain uniform and complete distribution of the binder or treating material upon the fibers as they are fo med, since the bulk of the fiber is within a cone of high velocity steam and air which is difiicult to penetrate from the exterior by any conventional spraying equipment.

By means of the present system, the binder or treating material is introduced into thefcenter of and atomized within this e nzonipassing bone of hi'ghi/eloc'ity's'team and air and the atomized spray of such binder is centrifugally projected in such manner that it contacts all of the fibers producedimmediately afterfo'rmation'andwhile they are still separated and not matted orroped together. This is a most effective means and manner ofspraying the fibers uniformly, gives most effective use of the binder employed and enables the production of a batt orfelt of mineral fibers having less weight and greater-uniformity of product, through more eflicient and uniform distribution of the binder or treating materials, hereinafter referred to generally as a binder.

Having thusdisclosed the'invention, we claim:

1. Ina fiberizing unit, a rotary divider for receiving an annulus of molten fiber-forming slag and centrifugally ejecting the slag from the edge of said divider in an annular pattern and about a horizontal axis, a shaft for rapidly rotating said divider to centrifugally eject the slag from the edge of said divider, a steam fiberizling ring encompassing but spaced forwardly from said edge, said steam ring having multiple orifices for projecting jets of steam rearwardly about the edge of said divider which intercept and abruptly change the path of travel of the ejected molten slag, draw this molten slag into a multitude of separate fibers and project theseformed fibers rearwardly in a cone of high velocity steam and air, and

spaced plates carried by and spaced from the rear of and rotatable with the rotary divider for atomizing and centrifugally and vertically ejecting and distributing an atomized spray of a binder solution to the formedfibers attenuated and projected rearwardly by said'jets of steam prior to such fibers being collected and compacted into amat;

2. In a fiberizing unit, a cup-shaped rotary divider for receiving an annulus of molten fiber-forming" slag upon .its inner surface and centrifugally ejecting the slag from the peripheral edge of said divider in an annular pattern and about a horizontal axis, a hollow shaft for rapidly rotating said divider to centrifugally eject the slag from .the'peripheral edge of said divider, a binder tube projecting through said shaft and divider and held stationary in said shaft, a pair o fspaced plates mounted upon and rotatable with said shaft and rotary divider and in spaced relation with the latter, means for supplying a binder to saidbinder tube and from said binder tube to the space between said plates whereby when said shaft is rotated .said plates centrifugally eject the binder outwardly in aflsubstantially vertical plane and in a radial pattern, a

steam fiber'izing ring encompassing but spaced forwardly ffromlsaid peripheral edge, said steam ring having multiple orifices for projecting'jets of steam which intercept the 'ejected molten slag, abruptly change its direction of travel and draw this molten slag into a multitude of separate fibers and project these formed fibers'in a cone of high velocity steam and air rearwardly from said rotor where the fibers are coated with the binder, and suction means fortwithdrawing and collecting the formed fibers after they have been coated with the binder.

3. In a tfiberizing unit, a distributing rotor rotating about a horizontal axis for receiving and 'centrifugally plates when rotated by'said rotor atomizing and centrifugally ejecting said binder solution from the center of said cone outwardly in a substantially vertical plane and in a radial pattern into and through the encompassing cone of fibers after such fibers have been formed and projected by the high velocity steam and air from the steam ring for uniformly coating the individual fibers with the binder.

4. In a fiberizing unit, a distributing rotor rotatable about a horizontal axis for receiving and centrifugally ejecting therefrom molten fiber-forming material in an annular pattern and in a substantially vertical plane, a fiberizing steam ring for intercepting and drawing the ejected molten fiber-forming material into individual fibers and projecting these fibers rearwardly from the rotor in a cone of substantially horizontally moving high-velocity steam and air, distributor means carriedby and rotatable with said rotor, means for supplying a binder solution to said distributor means, said distributor means spaced a substantial distance rearwardly of said rotor for centrifugally distributing and projecting said binder solution from the center of said cone outwardly in a substantially vertical plane into and through the encompassing cone of fibers downstream from the area of'forrnation and projection of said fibers by said high-velocity steam and air for uniformly coating the individual fibers with the binder.

5. In a fiberizing unit, a distributing rotor rotatable about a horizontal axis for receiving and centrifugally ejecting therefrom molten fiber-forming material in an annular pattern and in a substantially vertical plane, a fiberizing steam ring for intercepting and drawing the ejected molten fiber-forming material into individual fibers and projecting these fibers rearwardly from the rotor in a cone of high-velocity fluid, rapidly rotatable distributor means spaced rearwardly from and horizontally aligned with said rotor for centrifugally distributing a treating solution from the center of said cone outwardly in a radial pattern into and through the encompassing cone of fibers and fluid for treating the individual fibers with said treating material subsequent to the formation of said fibers and while said fibers are suspended in said cone of highvelocity gag.

6. The method of forming and treating mineral wool fibers comprising the steps of centrifugally forming molten mineral slag into an annular pattern of outwardly moving molten slag, attenuating and abruptly altering the direction of movement of said outwardly moving slag by impinging an annular jet of high-speed fluid thereagainst, forming anv annulus of loose and separated mineral fibers moving at a high speed in the direction of application of said jet, and centrifugally distributing and projecting slagtreating material outwardly into said annulus from a point located centrally thereof, said treating material contacting said fibers while the latter are in a loose and sepa rated state and moving at a high speed in the direction of application of said jet whereby said fibers are substantially uniformly treated.

7. The method of forming mineral wool fibers from molten mineral slag and treating said fibers comprising depositing said slag upon a rapidly rotating annular surface rotating about a horizontal axis, centrifugally forming a substantially vertical annular pattern of outwardly moving slag issuing from one end of said annular surface,

- attenuating and abruptly altering the direction of travel of said outwardly moving slag by impinging an annularly arranged plurality of jets of high-speed fluid horizontally thereagainst, forming'an annulus of loose and separated mineral fibers and said fluid moving substantially horizontally at a high speed, centrifugally projecting a spray of treating material outwardly in a substantially vertical plane from a point within said annulus, said spray contacting said fibers subsequent to their formation and while said fibers are in a loose and separated state and moving at a high speed in said annulus whereby said fibers are substantially uniformly treated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

